This is the first of two articles by British author Patrick Watts questioning the fitness of both Donald Trump and Joe Biden for another term as president.
Like many of you I watched much of the recent presidential debate through the gaps in my
fingers with my hands pressed firmly to my face. Disbelief is not the correct term for the
emotion I was feeling.
Unfortunately, I very much believed what I was seeing, as it illustrated exactly what I had written over a year ago. This debate should have represented the pinnacle of American democracy, a shining example to nations around the world. Instead, it showed the opposite; the visible culmination of both parties’ descent into selfish
hollow shells, focused solely on power.
Both parties have chosen to wilfully ignore the glaring flaws of their chosen candidates, and in doing so are endangering American democracy at a time when it is most precarious.
The Republicans have chosen a candidate completely devoid of morals, decency and empathy, who has shown complete disregard for the dignity of the office and the sanctify of democracy itself.
The Democrats have ignored the obvious mental decline that is only to be expected from a man who would be 82 years old if he was somehow re-elected.
Is the End of the American Empire at Hand?
By both choosing to promote such flawed candidates, both parties shoulder responsibility for the perilous state of American democracy, and the contempt they so clearly hold for the American people. Through analysis of previous empires, disputed succession legitimacy is one of the primary causes of civil unrest leading to imperial collapse, and the American Empire is equally exposed to this risk.
Democracy is vital to the continued survival of the American Empire, as the United States was built upon this foundation, and the peaceful transfer of power is its cornerstone. Democracy is not a universal law of nature, it is a concept, an idea created by human beings which enables the majority to acquiesce being ruled by a minority. If American democracy is deemed to have become illegitimate, then the veneer of permanence will fall away, and the America Empire will share the same fate as Empires past.
The following excerpt from my book, "The End of the American Empire," was written not after
this debate, but a year ago, to highlight the issues rotting away at the core of American
democracy…created by the two major parties themselves. It seems to have lost none of its
relevancy, and the debate serves to shine a spotlight on the issues it raises.
This commentary focuses on the Republicans. Part II will turn to the Democrats, so watch for it in this space tomorrow.
Politics: The Cold Civil War
Debate. Negotiation. Compromise. These are the key tenets of a well- functioning
democracy, ensuring the most beneficial outcomes for the citizenry and the nation by
sharing ideas, modifying positions through discussion, and then implementing consensus-
based outcomes. This is not politics in the American Empire of 2024. Bipartisanship is dead, ideology has replaced pragmatism and to compromise is to be “weak” or traitorous to your “side”.
While differences of opinion between opposing parties have always been a feature of
American democracy, politics is now a zero-sum game: there can be only winners or losers.
Positions are entrenched and differences are magnified by a partisan media chasing ratings,clicks and outrage. The two-party system foists on voters a binary choice between equally compromised parties. This political theatre, heavily funded by outside interests and
perpetuated by a complicit media, creates an illusion of choice while ensuring that the
system continues to function as designed, enriching the oligarchy who maintain the status
quo. Let us begin our analysis of the dire health of the US political system by examining the
current state of the two major parties of the American oligarchy.
The Republicans
The Grand Old Party. The party of Abe Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt and Dwight D. Eisenhower.
The party of low taxes, small government and minimal state encroachment on personal
freedoms. This is not the Republican Party today. Fringe right-wing views and conspiracy
theories are presented as fact by its representatives while Fox News, providing 24/7
propaganda in its capacity as the unofficial media arm of the party, forces such views into
the mainstream consciousness.
Within the Republican Party and the conservative movement more broadly, there exists a
fanatical adherence to the idea of individual freedom, which supersedes any notion of
collective responsibility – a key component of any well-functioning society. This outlook is
applied selectively and cynically. A powerful and influential undercurrent of fundamentalist
Christianity also shapes Republican policy, even as fewer and fewer Americans attend
church services. The very notion of “conservatism” within the Republican Party is
oxymoronic, as these religious influences lead to policies that do not aim for coherence and
continuity but impose radical measures that are often contrary to the views of the majority
of the country.
Meanwhile, Republican donations to the National Rifle Association (NRA) and a cultish
adherence to the Second Amendment right to bear arms ensure that any efforts to curb the
epidemic of gun violence are defeated. This means that assault rifles designed for military
combat are all too readily available and used to devastating effect in mass shootings that
occur with predictable and depressing frequency. When James Madison proposed the
Second Amendment in 1789, he was guarding against the potential transgressions of a
tyrannical federal government, not ensuring that citizens with questionable mental stability
could access weapons of war and wander around their schools killing indiscriminately.
Elsewhere, rivers of black dollars ensure that attempts to transition away from fossil fuels
are stymied and delayed, as industry-sponsored reports spread lies and pseudoscience.
Following the same path as Big Tobacco in the twentieth century, Big Oil and its Republican
allies will continue using these methods to enrich themselves until the very last second,
happy to sacrifice the future health of the nation and the planet.
The Republican Party’s extreme interpretation of reproductive rights, propelled by
evangelical Christians, masquerades under the misplaced moniker of “pro-life”. “Pro-life” for
unborn fetuses, but not for the victims of gun violence, nor the future generations who will
have to live with the reality of climate change. “Pro-life” until the moment a child is born,
but after this point they are on their own. Any state assistance that would improve the lives
of these fetuses when they become children and then adults, be it parental leave or socialsecurity, is opposed, such is the party’s ideological reflex. “Pro-life”, then, in only very
selective circumstances. The party of small government and personal freedom sees no
contradiction in stealing bodily autonomy from women and forcing unwanted pregnancies
to term – even after rape, in certain states.
This litany of contradiction and destruction was only the state of the Republican Party
before it was hijacked by Donald Trump and remade in his image. After four years of
enabling the worst impulses of Trump as he unravelled norms and conventions in his
attempt to “Make America Great Again”, the party of Lincoln has abandoned the ideals of
accountability and democracy. The 2021 Capitol insurrection that led to the deaths of four
Trump supporters, incited and cheered on by their leader, has been downplayed and
characterized by Republicans as a “normal tourist visit”, with efforts to investigate it labelled
as harassment.
It should be no surprise that the Republican Party is still happy to enable Donald Trump,
even as he spreads dangerous lies about election fraud and undermines the entire
democratic process; they have been doing the same for years using other, more covert
methods. Facing the reality of demographic changes that could lead to a non-white majority
in the next decade, the GOP has decided not to adapt and evolve to appeal to a more
diverse voter base, but is instead concentrating on efforts to subvert the democratic process itself. “Project Redmap”, a brazen gerrymandering campaign conceived in 2010 behind locked doors and away from prying eyes, allowed Republicans to redraw voting districts and rig the democratic process to their advantage. With a conservative majority, by 2019 the Supreme Court had made it clear that there was nothing federal courts could do to stop even the most blatant and aggressive gerrymandering, ensuring that these nefarious tactics will not only continue, but increase in both scope and audacity.
In the year that followed Trump’s attempted coup, Republicans introduced at least 262 bills
in 41 states which aimed to subvert the democratic process and tip the scales unfairly in
their favour. One of the most widespread methods deployed has been the attempt to
rewrite state election laws in order to give legislatures control over vote counts.
Independent non-partisan election officials, subject to threats of violence after the 2020
election, are also being replaced by hyper- partisan adherents to the unfounded “stop the
steal” conspiracy theory. At every level, active Republican attempts are ongoing to
undermine the integrity of the entire democratic process. Lincoln would surely be turning in
his grave at what his party has become.
Make sure to tune in tomorrow for the focus to shift to the Democratic party.
British author Patrick Watts' new book, “The End of the American Empire,” warns that unless some of the issues that beset our country are resolved, the “American empire” will collapse. Part 2, focusing on the Democratic party, will be published tomorrow . Watts appeared on the Lean to the Left podcast February 26 and that episode can be found here: Video; Audio. To check out his new book,“The End of the American Empire”, podcast discussions, and more, visit www.patrickwattsbooks.com.
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